Motherboard Guide

Introduction

Introduction

When AMD launched their new 690G chipset back at the end of February, we managed to get a first glimpse of its performance with one of the early pre-production 690G boards form ECS. However, if you do remember, we encountered some processor compatibility issues that prevented us from properly reviewing the board itself. With the 690G now in its second month of release, we've gotten our hands on a few retail motherboards that have surfaced since, one of them being the new addition to Sapphire's PURE series - the Pure Innovation HDMI, or more complexly known as PI-AM2RS690MHD.

In the graphics card arena, Sapphire has been one of AMD's (ATI) most ardent supporters and this support is also reflected in their small range of motherboards. Because of this, Sapphire has always been one of the few motherboard manufacturers that make full use of the features in the chipset used. The new Pure Innovation HDMI motherboard is no different. Just as how the first Pure Innovation motherboard was designed as a discreet performance board using ATI's then latest RX480 chipset, the Pure Innovation HDMI is designed to take on the world of high definition entertainment through the new 690G chipset, and as its name implies, it also boasts HDMI (and HDCP) compliance.

Unlike its predecessor however, Sapphire provides a very comprehensive peripheral bundle this time around, covering every connection supported by the motherboard.